More on anger

Here's a passage from Kathleen McDonald's How to Meditate about dealing with negative energy:

As mindfulness develops we become increasingly sensitive to our negative states of mind such as anger, irritation, pride, depression and so forth. Why are they considered "negative"? It is not that anger or desire are inherently evil or that we should feel ashamed when they arise. It is a matter of seeing them as the delusions that they are, distorted conceptions that paint a false picture of reality. They are negative because they lead to unhappiness and confusion.

Like all your experiences, negative emotions are impermanent, neither fixed nor concrete. They are simply mental energy, like love and joy, whose nature is clear and pure. Sometimes you might feel overwhelmed by them and doubt whether you can ever control your mind at all. But don't worry. Delusions come and go in your mind; they are not you. With proper understanding, every experience, whether positive or negative, can be a constructive step on the path.

I've learned over the years to let go of the need to control my mind in the tight, grasping sense of that word. I actually like the word "tame" a bit better. "Train" is also helpful. But I agree with McDonald that we do eventually learn to "control" the mind but we do it the way a skilled rider "controls" his or her horse. The rider is not "controlling" in a tense or obsessive way. Rather, the rider has trained the horse with acceptance and compassion and affirmation - not with harshness. Then horse and rider become a wonderful team as they engage the adventure that is life.